private GOODBYE TO A WORLD — luckypaw

[cygnetstare]

♱—— they're settling into the tunnels now, far from the retreating backs of scorchstreak and badgermoon. the hot dusty smell of prairie-grass leaves her nose with barely a whisper, replaced by a veritable tapestry of scents that moons of learning have taught her to deftly unravel. she can smell the faint scent of the most recent scent-trails, rich soil, the slightest tempting hint of rabbit she won't be pursuing today—it's only luckypaw's first day, after all, and it takes much more training, in her opinion, to learn how to catch a rabbit under the ground than above it. she recalls with the slightest trace of a wince an overconfident apprentice, moons ago, who hadn't wanted to wait to learn how—and received a nasty kick to the ribs for it. they don't think luckypaw will be like that, thankfully.

the tortie tom offers a satisfactory answer, especially for his first day—she'd expect no less from scorchstreak's son. "ayuh, good," she rumbles, voice raspy as though she even breathed the dirt in which they worked now, mewing, "'specially for your first day. i ain't expectin' too much of you today, don't worry. it takes more time to become a tunneler for a reason." she guides them deeper into the tunnels with practiced ease, overlong tail swinging to touch the walls and floor of packed dirt around them as she lifts tattered ears high to listen for anything, above the ground or below it.

"i'll just be givin' you a go-round of the tunnels today, 'lright? nothin' too difficult, just gettin' a feel for em." her ears twitch and their head instinctively inclines above before they glance back down and keep moving, hearing the light thunder of pawsteps above she could follow if she so wished, mewing, "i 'unno if you heard that, but there's some moor-runners above us. you'll learn how to track cats from down here later." her voice is gravelly but instructive, figuring it might be good to let luckypaw know what he's in for, "now, i ain't tryin' to overwhelm ya, but i do wanna let ya know what you'll be learnin' over the comin' moons."

"once we've done this little tour, we'll be headin' back to camp, and tomorrow we'll start ya real trainin'. learnin' how to hunt prey underground—in leaf-bare, the clan relies on us for a lotta prey that way—how to track cats from down here, how to patrol the tunnels. we got some tunnels that head into the other clans' territory, and we'll be diggin' that new one to riverclan soon. you'll get to help with that." and he will; they plan to work on it themself, to build a path for windclanners to come. she doesn't want to overwhelm luckypaw, but they do want to let him know what he's going to be learning for the next moons, "we'll be learnin' how to clear debris outta the tunnels, and most importantly—you'll be learnin' a tunneler's most prized skill, how to map the tunnels in ya head until you can travel 'em just like you were runnin' the moors."

"i know it sounds like a lot, but we got plenty 'o time to give you a good handle on it." her mew is unnerving, as is the rest of her, but kind nonetheless.

---

┏━⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ OOC ☽ ◯ ☾ INFORMATION₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆━━━━━┓ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ☄. *. ⋆♱･ﾟ:

• ooc: sorry this is so late omg !! @LUCKYPAW !!
  set as an immediate continuation of this thread!
  

• 

• ♱ cygnetstare — for their downy kitten-fur and perceptiveness (or uncanny gaze) she/they ; afab gender apathetic — windclan — tunneler — 34 ☾s —— cygnetstare is a corpselike chimera, split between long albino fur and a short black smoke pelt; their eyes are an unsettling pink. her creepy demeanour distracts from a strange fascination with death and an obsessive loyalty to windclan. —— smells like grave-dirt and blood ; sounds like vc tbd ; speech in #BF959C, thoughts in #000000 —— peaceful / healing powerplay permitted ; attacks/contact in underline ; will start fights ; won't flee unless ordered ; won't show mercy ; will kill or maim —— pansexual panromantic monogamist, single, not looking ; open to friendships, enemies, casual interactions, long-term romance, plotting ; not open to unplanned battles, flings penned by dejavu— desklamp9 on discord for plots

• battle stuff goes here for fights

​

 

[LUCKYPAW]

Being down in the tunnels, it's surprisingly...well, not comforting, not yet at least, but it's more neutral than he might have expected. Nerves still sing, abuzz with every unfamiliar scuffle, but Luckypaw thinks he's taking things considerably well, even if it is his second trip underground. With only Cygnetstare to guide him, it's a wonder he's not more nervous, though that's not to say he's completely at home in the darkness already. Even now, the sound of Cygnetstare's voice coming out of the gloom in reply startles him despite knowing they're just ahead of him. Disconcerting is the word, he thinks, even as he puffs up slightly at her small bit of praise. He'd hardly done anything noteworthy, just some basic observations as far as he was concerned, but he'd take whatever he could get, especially before they really got started with training. Even as she emphasizes that today won't be too strenuous, that she doesn't expect him to do too much (to be too much, yet), he still steps with head held high in pride - that is, until an overconfident paw slips on something unseen, perhaps a protruding root, and the grin is wiped off his maw as he hits the dirt floor with a soft oomph.

So much for being a star student right off the bat, he thinks, gently prodding to make sure that nothing's seriously hurt; perhaps a bruise or two, the worst of all being his ego. At least Cygnetstare hadn't actually seen his mishap, only heard it, and even now they don't see the sullen look that's overtaken his features - or can she? Do tunnelers spend enough time underground that they grow to be able to see down here? Or is that too absurd of a thought? Either way, Luckypaw gingerly climbs to his paws, already trying to make up for the ground he'd lost with no preamble. "I'm good - I'm good. Er, I understand," he announces, tone clearly trying too hard to be casual even as he silently stews over his own mishap. Perhaps it's a lesson well-learned, though, as each step is carefully calculated from now on, paws light as he tests the space around them before barreling forwards, ever-diligently trotting onwards after Cygnetstare. The further they go, the more conflicted he feels - deeper into the unknown, deeper into freedom, away from the outside world and towards the places he'll one day know just as intimately. Everything feels like a contradiction, down here, and it's almost enough to make Luckypaw feel light-headed.

Onward they march, however, his hearing split between the sound of feet against dirt and the rasp of Cygnetstare's voice as they begin to explain more about the tunnels. Once again, he perks up as she mentions cats above them, walking about on the moors. Going completely still, he strains to hear the sounds, too - was it possible to tell what they're doing up there? What if it's Scorchpaw, or Rumblepaw up there, learning just like he is? Frustratingly enough, Luckypaw's met with nothing - no inkling of any of their activities, or even their presence at all. How had Cygnetstare heard anything at all? Eyes narrowing uselessly, he sends a dubious look towards his mentor (or, at least, where he's pretty sure she is). The moment passes, though, and they continue on with the explanation, laying out goals in such a clear-cut manner that it's only slightly overwhelming, the breadth of what he's to learn over the coming moons. Hunting, tracking, patrolling, digging out new tunnels, clearing debris, forming new mental maps - and all of it underground. Suddenly, he's glad that today is only an introduction, just a simple tour around the tunnels; anything else, and he's afraid he can't handle it.

Out of everything they'd just listed, one thing sticks out clearer than the rest, crowned most appealing to the young apprentice. "I wanna do that. Um, everything, I guess, but especially I want to learn how to navigate. Down here. Like you do - like you just, know where to go even when it's so dark," Luckypaw responds, wincing at how stilted his words sound. It's not that he doesn't want to learn the other skills, it's just that creating a mental map seems a bit less...intimidating than potentially missing a catch, or making a wrong move while cleaning debris and shoring up a tunnel. Still, though, as daunted as the various lessons make him feel, there's a bit of pride there, too, at the thought of serving his Clan in such ways. Right now, he might not have a clue as to what comes next, tripping over himself in the dark, but one day? One day he'll be a competent tunneler, capable of making his clanmates proud - of making Scorchstreak proud, and Badgermoon, and even his littermates. "I can do it," he adds on after she pauses, sounding more confident this time. I'll make you proud, goes unspoken, found in the way he holds himself rigid. I'll make everyone proud one day, he thinks, trying to push back the gnawing uncertainty of all the tasks set before him.​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​

 

[cygnetstare]

♱—— carefully attuned ears hear the quiet oomph sound as luckypaw hits the dirt; she manages to hold herself back from a chuckle—it wouldn't be the first time a young apprentice tripped over something in the tunnels, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. if he was further along, their bond better forged, she wouldn't stop herself at all; but she knows young cats can be sensitive, and they judge that she and the tortie haven't yet formed a bond close enough to ensure his amusement rather than humiliation—obviously, given it's his very first day. the seasoned tunnelers have their own ways of watching out for stray roots and the like—she herself prefers to merely place her paws carefully, always ready for a surprise.

"ya alright there?"she mews, pausing for a moment to make sure he hasn't wounded himself somehow, nodding into nothingness when she hears the affirmative and then adding, "gotcha." the chimera sets forth once again, privately amused at his too-casual tone and suddenly light steps. they're starting to get into the tunnels proper now, darkness all around within the tangle she knows like the back of her paw. they can hear the moor-runners above for a moment more before they thunder off elsewhere, wondering if luckypaw heard them—she doubts it, given that tunnel-tracking can take some time to master. his silence for the moment is telling enough, she thinks, hoping she hasn't entirely overwhelmed the tortie with her quickly listed explanation.

"'course ya do," she responds, the gravelly accent more evident than ever; nearly every new apprentice fresh out of the nursery develops a fascination with the skilled prized above all by the tunnelers. only time will tell whether luckypaw will take to it—some cats just don't, spending the rest of their lives as .... okay tunnelers, but not great. milky fangs lock together; she wants her apprentice to be great, and though she's not planning to be harsh on him, exactly, this is something she'll train him on until it takes. "ayuh, you'll learn it. it's the most important skill, if you ask me—now, i'm not tryin' to scare ya, but cats who can't do it are in some real danger, you got me? it's all too easy to turn the wrong way and, well, some of the caverns here are bottomless."

"it's a good skill to have. like right now, we're-" she pauses for the barest trace of a breath, consults her mind, continues, "headin' closer to the end o' the territory, just past outlook rock." she continues to pad along, twitches an ear in the darkness and mews, "i trust that ya can. now, i won't be technically takin' ya there until you've been trainin' a bit longer, but d'you wanna go near the hidden tunnel we got into shadowclan? i heard some damned creepy sounds patrollin' there with ya mother once." luckypaw has been obedient, polite, demonstrated a willingness to learn; she won't take him near the tunnel's mouth, where shadowclan patrols might lurk, not until he's sufficiently trained. still, she can at least take him close as a small reward for his attentiveness.

---

┏━⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊ OOC ☽ ◯ ☾ INFORMATION₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆━━━━━┓ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ☄. *. ⋆♱･ﾟ:

• ooc: sorry this is so late :'-)
  

• 

• ♱ cygnetstare — for their downy kitten-fur and perceptiveness (or uncanny gaze) she/they ; afab gender apathetic — windclan — tunneler — 34 ☾s —— cygnetstare is a corpselike chimera, split between long albino fur and a short black smoke pelt; their eyes are an unsettling pink. her creepy demeanour distracts from a strange fascination with death and an obsessive loyalty to windclan. —— smells like grave-dirt and blood ; sounds like vc tbd ; speech in #BF959C, thoughts in #000000 —— peaceful / healing powerplay permitted ; attacks/contact in underline ; will start fights ; won't flee unless ordered ; won't show mercy ; will kill or maim —— pansexual panromantic monogamist, single, not looking ; open to friendships, enemies, casual interactions, long-term romance, plotting ; not open to unplanned battles, flings penned by dejavu— desklamp9 on discord for plots

• battle stuff goes here for fights

​

 

[LUCKYPAW]

Thankfully, Cygnetstare doesn't make a big deal out of his slip, and despite his chagrin, Luckypaw is also a little pleased that she's treating him like he can handle himself on his own - and he can, the apprentice has to remind himself. Even if that doesn't quite include tunnel navigation yet. Of course, that's not the only skill he needs down here! Following Cygnetstare precisely and internalizing all their lessons is also very important, especially during his first day; that's what matters the most here, at least for now. And learn he will, it seems, if his mentor has anything to say about it - there's an encouraging comment or two thrown in there, though that's not exactly what snares his attention in this next bit of information. Some of the tunnels just...end? Going down, forever? Of course, Luckypaw has considered getting lost in the tunnels, wandering endlessly with no rhyme or reason or hope to escape, but a bottomless pit? That just might be more scary than the alternative of aimlessly plodding through the tunnels for an eternity. Would it be a quick death, he wonders, or would you have time to think about your impending doom as you fall? Neither alternative sounds particularly pleasant, the not knowing what hit you or knowing all too well what was happening.

While he doesn't want to interrupt, it's hard to focus on anything else but the newly-learned danger that could potentially befall him at any moment. "Are they really...bottomless?" he asks, tail lashing in the dark out of uncertainty. "...How do you know when you've found one?" Setting aside the obvious of falling in, he supposes. All he has to do is stick close to Cygnetstare, Luckypaw tells himself, but that won't quite solve the problem of if the chimera herself were to make a misstep and to be swallowed up by the abyss. Would he be able to find his way back out if that were to happen? Thus far, he's trusted implicitly in Cygnetstare's skills, and even though he still doesn't have any reason to doubt them, it's really starting to click that accidents can happen to even the most skilled cats, however rarely. His new fear might have just consumed him then and there if not for her assessment of their location in hardly a second; setting aside the fact that he hardly knows where outlook rock is aboveground, it's insanely impressive, and once again he finds himself wanting that, too. To be able to know where he is at all times, even when the surface is hardly more than a thought.

As Cygnetstare asks if he wants to go to the site of the ShadowClan tunnel today (on his first day, no less), adding that she and Scorchstreak had heard some strange noises coming from there, Luckypaw pauses for a moment. Did he want to go? It wouldn't feel right to say no to his mentor like that, as his direct advisor and authority for the coming moons, so of course he would say yes in the end, but it's worth considering, he figures. All this talk of bottomless pits and weird sounds around ShadowClan has gotten him feeling all worked up, but there's not really anywhere to hide away from the dangers of the tunnels from within the tunnels, is there? Surely Cygnetstare would keep them both safe and away from anything dangerous, especially before he's really begun his training, and yet there's still a worry in his chest at just how many things could go wrong so quickly down here. Belatedly, he realizes he still hasn't responded to their proposal, and even though the danger feels more real than ever, he tries to think of just how skilled Cygnetstare is, knowing exactly where they are at all times. "Yeah, that'd be cool," he steels himself even as he speaks, whiskers quivering slightly. "Was it, um, ShadowClan up there? Do they sound different from WindClan?" Maybe he'd come back with an impressive story to tell, though as long as he makes it back in the first place, Luckypaw doesn't mind too much at this moment.

// YOU'RE ALL GOOD!! <333​

[ PENNED BY HIJINKS ]​